Low, "Dinosaur Act" EP (Tugboat)

by LD Beghtol, 7 November 2000

A three-song prelude to "Things We Lost in the Fire" -- Low's upcoming
full-length album -- "Dinosaur Act" shows Duluth's finest taking their
burgeoning pop sensibilities out for a brisk winter stroll. The title track
rings out with all the anthemic majesty of their classic song "Starfire"
from last year's brilliant SECRET NAME. Vivid lyrics like "And after
expenses and pulling up fences / No more airplanes / And putting your foot
down / The nail shot up like a bright red snowflake..." show just how far
Low has come from their austere beginnings, while its absurdly catchy
refrain will ring in your ears down through the years almost like a Stephin
Merritt lyric. The other two tracks are equally engaging, though in utterly
different ways. "Overhead" is a tense excursion into an early-80s Factory
Records realm; its quietly embittered lyric is coupled with a angular
chant-like melody and cycling swirls of delay-pedal fun. The last cut,
"Don't Carry It All" -- with its singalong chorus, rich intuitive harmonies
and revival-tent tambourine -- would not be out of place on the first Paul
McCartney solo album, c. 1971. Some less progressive long-time fans may be
left behind in the wake of Low's new sound -- here augmented by piano, flute
and trumpet -- but Low has never made it easy for us anyway.